COMPARISON OF SERUM TOTAL SIALIC-ACID, C-REACTIVE PROTEIN, ALPHA(1)-ACID GLYCOPROTEIN AND BETA(2)-MICROGLOBULIN IN PATIENTS WITH NONMALIGNANT BOWEL DISEASES

Total sialic acid (TSA), C-reactive protein (CRP); alpha(1)-acid glyco protein (alpha(1)-AG), and beta(2)-microglobulin were determined in 84 patients affected by non-malignant intestinal diseases, Crohn's disea se (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), active and in remission; non-ulce rative proctosigmoiditis; diverticulosis; diverticulitis (ie, inflamma tory complication of diverticulosis). Only in patients with acute phas e CD, TSA was statistically higher than those in remission, as well as in controls. In patients with acute CD and in those with diverticulit is, CRP was significantly higher than in the controls. alpha(1)-AG was found significantly increased in acute UC and CD patients versus the respective groups in remission, as well as ver sus controls. Moreover, alpha(1)-AG was higher in patients with diverticulitis. beta(2)-micro globulin did not differ in any group of patients. rn five patients wit h CD in acute phase, investigated before and during the pharmacologica l treatment (5-aminosalycilic acid and steroids), CRP values fell into the normal range after the second week of therapy, whereas TSA values reached the higher limit of the normal range after the third week, ex cept for two CD patients with a larger location (ileocolonic) of the d isease. The results are briefly discussed.